Last night Craig MacTavish held a TeleForum where season ticket holders could call in, listen and ask questions. Since I'm a season ticket holder I was able to listen in. His responses to goaltending and the future of Shawn Horcoff and Sam Gagner intrigued me the most.

He was asked about Horcoff and his future with the team.

Well, I think that that will be determined as the summer goes along with Shawn. I have a lot of respect for Shawn as a guy that really saw him come into the league. He was a player that played at Michigan State and played in our minor league team and came in and I saw him really develop as a player and as a person over the years. The one thing I will say about players like Shawn that have been here for a long period of time, it can have a little bit of a negative effect on your spirit, when Shawn's reaching a certain age in his career. He's gotta get energized as well and we'll see what happens or what the summer has in store for Shawn and the Edmonton Oilers.

Very interesting comments about the captain. Maybe I'm reading between the lines too much, but I sense whether Horcoff is back or not the Oilers might have a new captain next season. MacTavish suggested he needs to be energized, which suggests Horcoff's desire has been lacking, and I doubt you want your captain's spirit to be lacking.

I do know that his family stayed in Detroit this past season, likely due to their kids being in school for the first half of the year, and no one wants to be apart from their kids for five straight months. Maybe that played a factor, but I'm sure that seven seasons of losing is likely the reason his spirit wasn't as high.

Horcoff has a NMC that becomes a limited NMC (submit a list of ten teams) on July 1st. Maybe a change of scenary will do him good, and considering he is owed $4 million in actual dollars this year, while carrying a $5.5 million cap hit, he could look attractive to teams who need to get to the floor. If I was betting I'd guess there is a better chance he gets traded, rather than bought out.

Does he feel Devan Dubnyk is a legitimate starting goalie, and what about the goaltending situation as a duo?

Well, we're going to be very active in finding at least a couple goalies. I'd like to say about Nik Khabibulin that when he did play, he played very well for us this year. The problem with Nik, from our perspective, is that he's a 40-year-old body who wasn't able to stay as healthy as what you need. But, he did play exceptionally well when he did play and gave us very adequate backup goaltending.

As for Devan, I think that you're right, the verdict is out on Devan. I've always believed that when you're assessing goaltenders, if you have to ask the question you know the answer. The question would be, has Devan established himself as a number one goalie in the National Hockey League? And I still think it's a valid question. So, I think that Devan, although he's trending upwards in his numbers and played adequately for us this year, I still think, and I know Devan feels the same way, that there's another level for him. From our standpoint, we'll see that he can get to that level.

We are looking for a number two goalie and the jury is still out on Yann Danis, who has done a great job for us in the American Hockey League playoffs in Oklahoma City. We definitely have identified goaltending as not an area of strength within our organization. We have very little depth in our organization in net and we're going to address that, too, as well.

I don't see Danis as an NHL backup, especially if the general manager isn't certain his #1 goalie is ready to be an everyday starter. It was obvious at the trade deadline, when we learned that the Oilers tried to acquire Ben Bishop that they wanted someone to challenge Dubnyk.

A quick scan of the free agent market reveals that Mike Smith, Ray Emery and Anton Khudobin might be the best bets to do that. I'm sure the Coyotes will try to lock up Smith, but the other two could be free agents on July 5th. Khudobin is the most intriguing because of his age, and he might feel he has a better chance to play challening Dubnyk than Tuuka Rask.

Which player on the current roster is would he like to sign long term?

The one guy that's definitely on our radar in terms of guys that we want to sign is Sam Gagner. He's maybe our most highly profiled restricted free agent. If he chose not to sign a contract with us and took us to arbitration this year, he'd get a one-year award in arbitration and Sam would have the distinction of being the youngest player in the history of the National Hockey League to reach unrestricted status. So, we want to make sure that that doesn't happen.

Sam likes it here, he has been a valuable member of our team and is always trending up and he'll be a guy that we'll be looking to sign.

Another interesting response. The Oilers love Gagner's desire, passion and overall competitiveness. He's well-liked in the room and his "give-a-shit" meter is high. There are concerns, however, with Gagner's defensive game and his inability to win faceoffs.

I'm curious what type of dollar figure and term he and the Oilers would agree on? Is Gagner a $5 million player? If he is, can the Oilers afford to keep him along with their other four young, skilled forwards, 4,14,64 and 93? It depends on their salaires, but MacTavish's comments make it seem likely that Gagner will be an Oiler moving forward.

That leads us to the next obvious question.

Can the Oilers win with a combination of Nugent-Hopkins and Gagner down the middle, or does their lack of size concern him?

Firstly, they're guys that have an exceptionally bright future. Nugent-Hopkins, at his age, being able to accomplish what he's accomplished so far is quite spectacular, really. And he's 20 years old. Sam Gagner is a 23-year-old centerman.

We're in a league of men and it's a man's game and our guys are very much developing. There's every reason to expect that these players will continue, obviously, to develop and to be able to compete very well against the best centermen in all of hockey. You look at Detroit with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg as their 1-2 punch, they're not players that are going to overpower you. But, they're players that can win battles and I feel like our centermen are very capable of doing that.

Would we like to add a big centerman? Absolutely, and we'll be trying to acquire that piece.

I'm always skeptical to compare young kids to one of the best duos in the game. In a perfect scenario Gagner and RNH will morph into Datysuk and Zetterberg, but I think that is wishful thinking. Both of those players are Hall of Fame candidates and it is rare to have two HOF centremen on the same team.

I agree that Gagner and Nugent-Hopkins will improve, but I think the Oilers are setting themselves up for disappointment if they hope they will mirror Zetterberg and Datsyuk. That is an extemely high comparison. If MacT was comparing their styles, then that is a different story. Neither of the Wings' centermen are overly big, but he is accurate in describing how hard they compete and how complete their two-way game is.

At this point Gagner would need to improve a lot in his two-way game to be in the same boat. That won't come with maturity though, it will come from within him and a desire to become that player. You can't teach that, the player has to want to become that player. We've seen offensive players do it, some later in their careers like Steve Yzerman, so it is possible, but it is also extremely difficult.

How will MacTavish approach free agency?

The UFA market is always a very... I approach that market very cautiously. I think there are a lot of mistakes made with the UFA's when you sign players who are diminishing in terms of what their contribution can be and they're always inflated contracts. It is a vehicle where you can help your team and we'll be as active as we can in the UFA market.

We've known for months the 2013 free agent crop isn't great, and some players will likely re-sign before July 5th, which will diminish the talent pool even more. I'm not surprised by MacTavish's comments, considering Scott Howson said the exact same thing a month ago. Overpaying players in the UFA market rarely works.

The other interesting point that MacTavish referenced was that from July 1st to July 5th there will be a recruitment window for pending UFA's. Meaning teams will have more time to talk to a player and his agent, and even fly them to their city for a tour. The NBA does this and I think it's a great idea. Imagine showing potential free agents Edmonton's river valley, rather than the usual snow-filled route from the airport to the hotel that opposing players only see during the season. Edmonton is a much prettier city than most opposing players see from October-March.

Those were the hot topics for me. MacTavish said his main priority with the #7 pick was to draft a centreman, no surprise, and that Nathan Mackinnon, Alexsander Barkov and Sean Monahan. He didn't name Elias Lindholm.

One of Canada's most versatile sports personalities. Jason hosts The Jason Gregor Show, weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m., on TSN 1260, and he writes a column every Monday in the Edmonton Journal. You can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JasonGregor

I think it's very fair to compare RNH to anybody in the league, especially Datsyuk. He's a number 1 pick and far superior to Datsyuk at the same age, but they play a similar game. Gagner to Zetterberg? That's one I would not have made at all.

I wonder why he didn't comment on the possibility of compliance buy outs from around the league potentially saturating the UFA market, driving prices down and allowing some teams to get good player at reasonable rates.

As for Gagner, if they can sign him to a decent contract, and he plays in the 60 point range next year. I think his trade value goes even higher and they won't have to give up so much to get back an impact player.

Beware of charismatic articulate people with or without a teleprompter.

Smart is overrated.

Winning is what counts

Charisma, articulation and actual intellect does not directly correlate to success or ability. Some of the least educated and unsophisticated people I know are excellent in their respective careers. Conversely, some of the most educated and intellectual people I know can't maintain employment.

Unrelated: If Gagner signs a long term deal with a reasonable cap hit and manages 55+ points next year he may become an invaluable trade asset. Perhaps he may net us the player who puts us over the top.

Patience from here is key as great teams (other than Pittsburgh) aren't built in a season. I just want to see marked improvement on the ice in 2013-14.

I am very pleased to hear that Gagner will be a part of the team moving forward. Very good news. Also good news to hear that he'll be careful with UFA's. So far MacT has been very impressive in showing his vision and understanding. Let's hope he can actually do the moves. If there are only 3-4 changes on this roster next year consisting of bottom level players than we won't be in the playoffs.

First off ,not privy to Teleform . What did I get out of it . Gagner appears to be integral part of moving forward . Got the feeling Horcff could be part of a package with possibly Dubnyk for Luongo and another Canuck . Or perhaps same scenario with another team ? If he is adding two goalies I tend to think Dubbie may be up for trade bait . Canucks looking for a center by the way and a backup goalie .

He's not expecting/relying on the UFA market to replenish personnel , and that probably means buyout players as well .

I just do not see us being competitive with lack of size in our new division . They are expecting too much from our group of smallish young developing forwards . So with a Horcff trade , then I suspect Gagner takes over third line centerman , and a new one bought in for first or second line ?

1. The not a chance we'll get them players
2. The have to give up our Eberle's and Klefbom's for them players. Are we willing to do that?
3. The aquireable players who will still make a difference. This is the group I would like us to explore. I suggest trading for Ryan Ellis to add a puck moving defenseman and Signing Patrick Thoreson. LT had this suggestion on his blog. I immediately drank the kool aid. Four straight seasons as a point a game player in the KHL could slide in as a third line center upgrade.
4. The won't make a difference players. Stay away please.

@Gregor -- any comment by MacT on the coaching situation and whether they are exploring other potential options?

As for the players, I'm not surprised by their stance on Gagner... I've always thought that he came from good hockey bloodlines and competes most nights... it's just that his positioning is sometimes off, especially on the backcheck, and his faceoffs need work.

As for Horcoff, I wouldn't be surprised to see him drop to an assistant captain (if they keep him) for next season or they buy him out or trade him.

In regards to the Zetterburg-Datysuk comparison...MacTavish is the guy who once compared Marty Reasoner to Joe Sakic...........

Hey!

That's no way to talk about the man who accurately said Horcoff should be on the Canadian Olympic team because he is the best 5 on 3 PK man he's ever seen. You show some respect for this knowledgable, and smart man.

It would be nice to see Horcoff go to Detroit and be with his family and I would love to see a way the OIL could get Abdelcater that guy plays balls to the wall and being young he may be a great fit I wonder what it would take.

I think the most interesting thing he mentioned was about the draft. They want a centre or Dman but think that all the centres (Mackinnon, Barkov, Monahon) will be gone by 7 and there are teams that are above the Oilers that would want and be happy with a defenceman at 7,8 or 9

great article J.G and that good of MacT to say a few things to refressh the current situation.

I now look mat the Oil wanting Gagner pretty much now so it is up to him and nhis agent I guess for a contract...five mil a year?....no but four to four point five mil would seem to be the ballpark.

Good on the goalie situation finally. Finding a set 1 and 1A team should be the priority here with a Danis type call up from the AHL.

I believe the end is near for Horcoff based on what MacT stated. The captaincy shouyld now change and he is getting old and to the end of a long career and he does deserve to go to another team who can get him to a cup scenario quciker than the Oil probably will this coimping season.

I believ he is up for trading as ya wrote.

i think this summer depends on two centre deals, one for a 2A to 3rd line type centrebeing brought in and the other is that the Oil are looking at five kids to draft at centre with the #7 position.....MacKinnon, Barkov, Monahan, Lindholm and Horvat.
The first two names depend only if the oil move up and this will be hard to do....or....by some very unexpected miracle macKinnon or Barkov are still available..(Yeah Right!!!)

I believe too that Oil do want to get Nichushkin or Nurse are the other two, maybe Zadorov as well.

I like McCoshen for the 37 pick or for sure one of G drafts Fucale, Comrie, Jarry.

I still see the Oil mainly hunting aggressively for Horton, Bickell, Stalberg,plus either Mike Smith/Khudobin, and I somehow think that a deal with Mark Streit and/or Alzner might in there somewhere too.

I think Hemsky is gone by trade this year by the draft as Yakupov is his stonger newer replacement.

It would be nice to see Horcoff go to Detroit and be with his family and I would love to see a way the OIL could get Abdelcater that guy plays balls to the wall and being young he may be a great fit I wonder what it would take.

Horcoff for Abdelcater would be a Great deal for us! I'm not sure that Detroit is that stupid although one can hope.

Beware of charismatic articulate people with or without a teleprompter.

Smart is overrated.

Winning is what counts

I'll take having a GM that can outline what he thinks are glaring weaknesses on the team and suggest a plan to address them as opposed to Mr. Mumbles any day of the week.

It wasn't just "get better".

It isn't that Mac-T is articulate and good in front of a camera, I think he has a far better hockey mind than the yahoos that brought us an offer sheet on Penner, Sheldon Souray as a franchise defenceman, Nik Khabilbulin for a million years, and an aborted effort to trade for Heater.

First i will say I am not a tambellini fan or supporter but players such as Khabibulin, Souray, Belanger, Barker, and Eager, etc, all came to the Oilers with promising to play very good hockey and once the contracts were signed then it was injuries then it was seemingly a lack of proving they wanted to play hard.

Souray wasnt too bad as he did bring meanness and offence to the team but it was his attitude that isnt professional in any league.

MacT has to go to his staff of pro-scouts and tell them straight to upgrade and do their jobs faar better...or....they're gone.

As relating to outgoing Mayor Mandel(Edmonton) who stated before...."The city's level for tolerance IS ZERO"""

Obviously Gagner and RNH are not as good as Datsyuk/Zetterberg are right now. But:

-Gagner outscored (points per game) Zetterberg at 22 and 23 and Datsyuk at 23. Datsyuk played in Russia at 22.

-D/Z did not match RNH's rookie season P/G until they were 25.

-Neither Datsyuk or Zetterberg were better than 50% on faceoffs until they were 25.

-The first season D/Z took the reins from Federov the Wings maintained a goal differential of +66 but Datsyuk went from +20 to -2 in the top line role while Zetterberg went from +6 to +15 as second line center.

-Gagner was -6 on a -5 team this season either first or second line depending on if RNH was in.

-RNH was plus 3 on a -5 team as top line center.

-Datsyuk and Zetterberg were not dominant until the year after the first lockout when they were 27 and 25 years old.

You can't tell me that Datsyuk/Zetterberg were better than Gagner/RNH at this age. There is a very real possibility that RNH and Gagner will be the better players over their career.

We are left scratching our heads wondering if we are in for massive change as first many thought would happen with MacT. ? Now it's sounding more like a Tambellini type cosmetic change ? If it's minimal why did they bother to get rid of Tams ? Somewhat dissallusioned /apprehensive at this stage now . Real change ,really ? I only hear talk of it so far , and that's not enough because it equates zero .

Obviously Gagner and RNH are not as good as Datsyuk/Zetterberg are right now. But:

-Gagner outscored (points per game) Zetterberg at 22 and 23 and Datsyuk at 23. Datsyuk played in Russia at 22.

-D/Z did not match RNH's rookie season P/G until they were 25.

-Neither Datsyuk or Zetterberg were better than 50% on faceoffs until they were 25.

-The first season D/Z took the reins from Federov the Wings maintained a goal differential of +66 but Datsyuk went from +20 to -2 in the top line role while Zetterberg went from +6 to +15 as second line center.

-Gagner was -6 on a -5 team this season either first or second line depending on if RNH was in.

-RNH was plus 3 on a -5 team as top line center.

-Datsyuk and Zetterberg were not dominant until the year after the first lockout when they were 27 and 25 years old.

You can't tell me that Datsyuk/Zetterberg were better than Gagner/RNH at this age. There is a very real possibility that RNH and Gagner will be the better players over their career.

All very true. People are to impatient and don't realize this team is full of KIDS. They haven't even matured or completely developed their game yet.

First i will say I am not a tambellini fan or supporter but players such as Khabibulin, Souray, Belanger, Barker, and Eager, etc, all came to the Oilers with promising to play very good hockey and once the contracts were signed then it was injuries then it was seemingly a lack of proving they wanted to play hard.

Souray wasnt too bad as he did bring meanness and offence to the team but it was his attitude that isnt professional in any league.

MacT has to go to his staff of pro-scouts and tell them straight to upgrade and do their jobs faar better...or....they're gone.

As relating to outgoing Mayor Mandel(Edmonton) who stated before...."The city's level for tolerance IS ZERO"""

Khabby was old, broken down and injury prone. His strong performance contract year was after he was nearly outplayed by Cristobel Huet. Anyone who thought that the signing wasn't a huge mistake immediately after the ink dried (this isn't just looking at it with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight) was off his or her rocker.

The Khabby signing was a firing offence in and of itself.

Souray was a huge overpay on a relatively one dimensional, injury prone defenceman. Souray himself indicated that the Oiler's offer came out of the blue and was much more than the other offers he was seeing. The debacle that followed was both on him and on the team but le'ts call the signing what it was, an attempt to give the fans a "Pronger-light"

Barker and Eager were gambles that didn't pay off. Should anyone be surprised that a guy with concussion problems will tend to shy away from physical contact? Barker was a roll of the dice but the amount of the contract was so small that it wasn't a big deal.

Belanger was a signing that I supported at the time in terms of the need and the dollar amount. There was no way on earth that Tambo had to give him a 3 year deal though. Nobody else was offering a 4th line defensive player who could win faceoffs that kind of term.

It isn't just guys coming here promising to "play good hockey". Anyone with a little bit of hockey analysis could see that most of these moves were just patently bad hockey knowledge.

We are left scratching our heads wondering if we are in for massive change as first many thought would happen with MacT. ? Now it's sounding more like a Tambellini type cosmetic change ? If it's minimal why did they bother to get rid of Tams ? Somewhat dissallusioned /apprehensive at this stage now . Real change ,really ? I only hear talk of it so far , and that's not enough because it equates zero .

They got rid of Tambi because of politics. The team was bombing, again, and someone needed to take the fall. He was the scapegoat.

We are left scratching our heads wondering if we are in for massive change as first many thought would happen with MacT. ? Now it's sounding more like a Tambellini type cosmetic change ? If it's minimal why did they bother to get rid of Tams ? Somewhat dissallusioned /apprehensive at this stage now . Real change ,really ? I only hear talk of it so far , and that's not enough because it equates zero .

Well seeing as you can't make a trade, sign a free agent, hire a coach still under contract while the playoffs are still on do you think you might need to give him a bit of time before he can actually implement changes?

RNH might be on the shelf when the season starts. Horcoff, once he makes the draw, is not much to write home about.. 4 th liner at best.Ok defensively, but has lost a step or two. Grit, is almost " Zero".

Gagner could be the No.1 center when the season starts if RHN is a IRL. If you trade Gagner, whats your next move? Belanger? Smithson? These are not bold moves.

If you draft a center, not likely to be NHL ready this year!

You are not getting Malkin, or Crosby on the open market... so you have to chase cheaper but good center men, who can serve the team as second or third line guys..

I disagree on Khabby. At the time, he was the consensus best goalie available that year on most if not all lists. He was one of the few legit starters and a recent cup winner to boot. The only real question was the length of the contract but they even said that is what it took to convince him to come here over his other offers, as length was his priority. Hindsight has proven it to be a bad signing but at the time it wasn't.

RNH might be on the shelf when the season starts. Horcoff, once he makes the draw, is not much to write home about.. 4 th liner at best.Ok defensively, but has lost a step or two. Grit, is almost " Zero".

Gagner could be the No.1 center when the season starts if RHN is a IRL. If you trade Gagner, whats your next move? Belanger? Smithson? These are not bold moves.

If you draft a center, not likely to be NHL ready this year!

You are not getting Malkin, or Crosby on the open market... so you have to chase cheaper but good center men, who can serve the team as second or third line guys..

Not necessarily. If he is hinting at moving 10 and 83 those are significant change. Also wants to challenge Dubnyk...

And a part of me thinks MacT is pumping up Gagner in hopes of maybe increasing his trade value.

I like that MacTavish is being clear about every player on this team needing to be better, and he isn't afraid to say it. Of course he will be evaluated on the moves he makes, not the words he says.

Jason,

Do you that it may be possible that MacT really does want to sign Gags long term but just doesn't plan on having him consistently play center? Wouldn't it be beneficial to have say 4 natural centers with an couple of wingers that have the ability to play center? I could see Gags being the winger that steps in at center when needed and I kind of hope that the direct they go with him.

So MacT says bold moves and yet they want to sign Gagner long term... Uh oh does this mean what I think it means?

It might ? Maybe now the boys club is firmly in place results will be crutial for all of them if they fail again . Could see them all gone (top to bottom ) same time if they fail to produce again . Who knows , that might be a good thing in the end analysis .

I disagree on Khabby. At the time, he was the consensus best goalie available that year on most if not all lists. He was one of the few legit starters and a recent cup winner to boot. The only real question was the length of the contract but they even said that is what it took to convince him to come here over his other offers, as length was his priority. Hindsight has proven it to be a bad signing but at the time it wasn't.

Might want to double check Willis' take on it at the time of the signing.

Do you that it may be possible that MacT really does want to sign Gags long term but just doesn't plan on having him consistently play center? Wouldn't it be beneficial to have say 4 natural centers with an couple of wingers that have the ability to play center? I could see Gags being the winger that steps in at center when needed and I kind of hope that the direct they go with him.

They already tried Gagner on the wing and it didn't go over so well. He's a natural center.

Hello negative nancies. Lets give the man at least until the end of the playoffs before we run him out of town. MacT came out and told us exactly what we already know. More than dithers did in his time as boss. At least he can see the problem and hopefully work to a good resolution. But in all honesty why don't people read these posts before complaining the same complaint as ten other folks. I don't believe in MacT yet but I am willing to hope. Go oil go.

His words leave plenty of opportunity for wide spread change. Good to see him seeing these guys for what they are now, and not 5 yrs ago.

Hoping with the options coming their way this summer will finally give them a noticeable identity as a hockey club. For our sake, I hope these are the words of a soon to be very busy GM coming up next month. I was sort of expecting him to start the festivities with a bang by announcing a significant deal before the end of the playoffs this spring. Here's to hoping these are more than just words fellow hockey fans.

Thanks for sharing the contents of what happened last evening with us type 2 fans Jason. I prefer to buy just playoff tickets.

Hard to know what his plans are with Gagner. Sure sounds as though he sees the same as many of us here feel, him wanting to get a lot stronger down the middle.

Is Gagner more transferable without a new deal heading to his new club, or is Craig just throwing his hook in the waters to see what nibbles he gets. Be really awesome if a GM sees fit to sign him to an offer sheet. That could work out really well for the Oilers with an extra 1st, 2nd and a 3rd next summer. If July comes and goes without landing a top pairing blueliner, i almost like this option the best in regards to Gags.

Anyone know where Mr. Super recruiter Ralph Krueger was when Victor Fasth was up for grabs last year? We sure need Ralph to be in fine form again this summer with the possibilities that may occur.